'Omar Bakri Mohammed, who has lived in the UK for 18 years on social security benefits, pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden and told his followers that they were in a state of war with Britain,' the paper said.
The Times monitored Mr Bakri Mohammed's nightly webcasts conducted through an internet chatroom, in which he declared that the "covenant of security" under which Muslims live peacefully in the UK had been "violated" by the Government's tough anti-terrorist legislation.
"I believe the whole of Britain has become Dar ul-Harb (land of war)," the Syria-born Mohammed said. Therefore, "the kafir (non-believer) has no sanctity for their own life or property," The Times quoted him as saying.
Though he stopped stopped short of calling for terrorist attacks in Britain, he declared that Muslims should join the jihad "wherever you are," the article said. He also told one woman that she was permitted to become a suicide bomber.
'Mohammed, 46, has indefinite leave to remain in the UK, but could be detained without trial under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act if the Home Secretary were to decide he is a terrorist associate,' The Times said.
"Al-Qaeda and all its branches and organisations of the world, that is the victorious group and they have the emir and you are obliged to join. There is no need . . . to mess about," Mohammed was quoted as saying last Monday. 'Two nights later he said that the voices of dead Mujahidin were calling young Britons to fight,' The Times said.
"These people are calling you and shouting to you from far distant places: al jihad, al jihad. They say to you my dear Muslim brothers, 'Where is your weapon, where is your weapon?' Come on to the jihad," he said.
According to The Times, the cleric is regarded as a fringe extremist by mainstream Muslims and is banned from preaching at many mosques. But he uses internet forums every night to reach an audience of between 60 and 70 committed listeners, most of whom are under 30, the article said.
'He lectures for 90 minutes and his audience responds enthusiastically, typing questions about jihad and suicide bombing which are answered verbally. An announcement last October that Mr Bakri Mohammed had disbanded his al-Muhajiroun movement was welcomed. But it appears that he has regrouped and is delivering a more hardline message through the internet and at secretive meetings,' said The Times.
Speaking directly to The Times, Mr Bakri Mohammed denied that he was calling for violent action in the UK.
Contending that his definition of Britain as Dar ul-Harb was "theoretical," he said: "It means that Muslims can no longer be considered to have sanctity and security here, therefore they should consider leaving this country and going back to their homelands. Otherwise they are under siege and obviously we do not want to see that we are living under siege."
